In The News

John D. Ehrlichman is convicted of conspiracy and three counts of perjury in the Ellsberg break-in case.

The government’s wholesale price index rose only .5% last month, the least since October.

Watergate - President Nixon issues a sworn statement that he had given John Ehrlichman “general supervisory control” over the White House “plumbers” investigating unit, but he did not authorize anyone at the White House to burglarize the files of Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis J. Fielding of Beverly Hills.

The Senate Watergate committee charges that C.G. (Bebe) Rebozo spent $45,621 from four secret trust accounts to improve President Nixon’s two Key Biscayne homes. About $25,000 came from election campaign funds.

Passing – Earl Warren – served for 16 years as chief justice of the United States. He was 83.

Entertainment/Celebrity news – July 8, 1974

Disneyland re-opens its new “American Sings” after a young female employee was crushed to death last Monday. Deborah Gail Stone (18) was caught between a stationary and a moving wall. She is the first-ever Disneyland employee killed I an accident.

Oliver Reed says his next release will be the Robert Stigwood rock opera “Tommy” which will star Roger Daltry, Ann-Margret and Jack Nicholson.

Melbourne – Local union members force Frank Sinatra to cancel his Australian concert tour and also blocked the singer from leaving the country, cut of his room service after his bodyguards roughed-up television newsmen (and women). Sinatra called female reporters “$1.50 hookers.” The singer then called off the five-concert tour after one performance, but indignant union members said he would never get out from down under until he apologized for his conduct. The trip started out smoothly, but after the Melbourne roughhouse, things took a turn for the worse.

National poll - Walter Cronkite of CBS is rated the most trusted and objective newscaster on television. NBC’s John Chancellor rated second and ABC’s Howard K. Smith came in third in the Phillips-Sindlinger Survey.

Last year, Smith was first, Chancellor second, Harry Reasoner of ABC third and Cronkite fourth. Cronkite surged due to the Watergate scandals. CBS’ Dan Rather, whom the survey described as “commonly cast in the role of the President’s arch-foe,” was the newscaster who scored the greatest 1973-74 in trust by the public.

Music news – July 8, 1974

In Nashville - pop singer B.J. Thomas had to be subdued by three policemen and was subsequently arrested after an altercation with a taxi driver and charged with resisting arrest and using indecent language. The cabby said Thomas did not want to pay the fare.

Radio news – July 8, 1974

Will KROQ (Los Angeles) survive? Reports are that cash is short and its program director, Shadow Stevens has just bailed and gone to rival KMET-FM. After Stevens bailed, so did a number of DJ’s – all for the same reason: their checks were getting later and later or were worthless. Gone are China Smith, Jimmy Rabbitt, Greg Shannon and Dana Jones. KROQ (AM 1500) now has a new FM frequency – 106.7.